The area on the outskirts of Wädenswil/ZH stood empty for a long period of time. In 2004, Metron AG constructed a residential development for PSP Properties AG on the site of the disused beer brewery "Wädi-Brau". The ground floor of the building was used for commercial purposes. The buildings are located on a steep slope overlooking the main road and with a view to the lake. At the back of the slope is the access to the parking garage.

The owner offered to expand the office space on behalf of the prospective tenant, Trimble Schweiz GmbH.

One challenge was the proportions of the space and the lighting: the office area is almost one hundred meters long, eight meters deep and has natural light only on one side. In addition the window sill is relatively high.

A dense forest of columns carries the loads of two apartment floors above and leads to a tight arrangement of the spaces between. The stairwells and service zones divide the spaces up further.

The project provided an extension for both the owner's and tenant's. The bathrooms were built as part of the main project, while the extension of the office rooms was carried out in consultation with the tenant.

Our aim was to organise the spatially separate functions such as bathrooms, meeting rooms and tea kitchens, between the existing columns and shafts, with the intention that they would become less prominent. Wherever possible we integrated columns into cupboards and service risers into wall surfaces. In addition, the materials of the walls, exposed concrete, smooth plaster and wood-based panels, are no longer defined by their constructive function, but instead columns become walls, walls become cupboards and cupboards become columns.

Another challenge was the tight schedule. The old lease had already been terminated when we were commissioned with the project. The lock-down was also a special experience and the skills needed to drive a project forward from home office were quickly adopted and implemented.